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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
ASB Classic – Auckland, New Zealand
Apia International Sydney – Sydney, Australia

Last Week’s Winners:
Brisbane International – Grigor Dimitrov
Qatar ExxonMobil Open – Novak Djokovic
Aircel Chennai Open – Roberto Bautista Agut
Hopman Cup – France (Richard Gasquet & Kiki Mladenovic)

Grigor Dimitrov Wins First Title Since 2014
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 3 years since Grigor Dimitrov won his last title, at Queen’s Club in 2014.  That same year he reached the top 10 for the first time, and made it to the semi-finals a at Wimbledon.  It’s been a tough couple of years for Grigor, who has been working hard to get back in top form.  He started 2017 in commanding fashion, taking out 3 top 10 players (Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori) on his way to the Brisbane title.  He also took one of the cutest and most excited trophy winning photos of all time.  More of this in 2017, please!

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🏆

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Dominic Thiem Hits The Beach
One of the hardest working men in tennis, Dominic Thiem, hit the “beach” in Sydney ahead of the tournament there this week.   Our dream job would be planning and supervising these ATP player field trips during tournaments.  Where can we sign up?   (Also someone please take Grigor back to a zoo while he’s in Australia so we get more of this)

James Blake Wins 2016 Powershares Season Finale in Brooklyn
Professional tennis made it’s return to Brooklyn for the first time since  1935 on a snowy Saturday night at the Barclays Center.   James Blake won the Powershares QQQ Cup, the last event on the 2016 Champions Tour.  James defeated Andy Roddick in the first semi-final, breaking Andy in the final game of the set.   (Andy’s serve is still on point in case you were wondering).  John McEnroe beat Jim Courier 6-3, before losing to James in the final.   The final set was an entertaining battle of the New Yorkers, with an energetic crowd cheering on both players.

Taylor Fritz Expecting First Child
Tennis Channel just casually mentioned that Taylor Fritz is expecting his first child any day now!   Fritz wed his longtime girlfriend Raquel Pedraza over the Summer.   Congrats Taylor and Raquel!

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Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Citi Open – Washington, DC USA
Generali Open – Kitzbuhel, Austria
Konzum Croatia Open – Umag, Croatia
J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open – Gstaad Switzerland

Davis Cup Semifinals Set
After a drama filled weekend, 4 teams advanced to the Davis Cup World Group semifinals:  France, Argentina, Croatia and Great Britian.  It was a shame for the home teams – all of the teams advancing were visitors.  Croatia rallied from 0-2 down to take the tie against the US in 5.  (We’re still not over it.)  The semifinals are set to take place in September, just after the US Open.  With #Merica out, we’ll be rooting for Team France.  ALLEZ!

It’s The Greatest Time Of Year
The American Summer hardcourt season officially starts this week, with the Citi Open in DC.   Lots of American players are in action, including top seed John Isner and #NextGen players Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe.  Tune into Tennis Channel to watch all the action!  Also, heads up that the US Open starts in just 41 days!  Enjoy this A+ fangirl instagram of Grigor from the Citi Open.

Arthur Ashe Kids Day Lineup Announced
The US Open kicks off with the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day event on August 27th.  This year’s performers included Flo Rida, Forever In Your Mind, Laura Marano and Troye Sivan.   Players Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic will be making appearances as well.  Click here for more info and to get your tickets now!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHxUvllg0rp/?taken-by=aakidsday

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Fritz
Taylor Fritz wed Racquel Pedraza on July 7th in his hometown of Rancho Santa Fe, California.  Fellow players in attendance included best man Reilly Opelka, groomsman Tommy Paul, Stevie Johnson and Mardy Fish.  Congrats Taylor & Racquel!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHxgQMhDJu0/?taken-by=taylor_fritz

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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We’re just a week away from Wimbledon qualifying!  Which means we’ve arrived to the two 500 level grass court tournaments, in Halle and London.  The Queen’s Club draw is particularly STACKED.  Isner vs Del Potro, Kyrgios vs Raonic & Lopez vs Cilic are all 1st round matches.  But could we get a little sunshine?  Please?   We’re pretty sure we’ve had rain delays every single day for the last month.

This Week’s Tournaments:
Gerry Weber Open – Halle, Germany
Aegon Championships – London, England

Dominic Thiem Wins 4th Title of 2016
Thiem continues to impress in 2016, and took home his 4th title of the season in Stuttgart.  He defeated Roger Federer on the way to his first grass court title.  Thiem has now won a hard court, clay court and grass court title in 2016, making him only the 9th active player to do so in the same year.  With the win Thiem surpasses #1 ranked Novak Djokovic in match wins this year – Thiem has 45 while Djokovic has 44.


Nicolas Mahut Wins 3rd Ricoh Open Title
Mahut is currently the #1 ranked doubles player in the world (usually teaming up with Pierre-Hugues Herbert), and he just added another grass court singles trophy to his name.  This is the third time Mahut has won the title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Keep Up With The  #NextGen
The ATP launched a dedicated #NextGen site, so you can keep up with all of your fave players!  Check it out here.   Taylor Fritz started a diary reflecting on his big year.  Fritz also had the chance to play with his dream doubles partner, Juan Martin del Potro in Stuttgart last week.

Thanasi Kokkinakis Delays Return To Tour
Kokkinakis was due to return this week, with a wildcard into the Aegon Championships in London, but he has pushed back his return to the tour.  He’s been out all of 2016 recovering from shoulder surgery, and will be out at least through Wimbledon.  We’re hoping he’ll be back in action for the US hard court swing this Summer!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Meet the ATP #NextGen

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Last week marked the official start of the clay season, with Federico Delbonis defeating Borna Corcic in the finals in Marrakech, and Juan Monaco defeating 2015 winner Jack Sock at the Men’s Clay Tournament in Houston.  The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is underway, which is one of the most beautiful stops on the tour.  It’s worth tuning in for the views alone!

This Week’s Tournament:
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Monte Carlo, Monaco

ATP #NextGen
Earlier this season, the ATP World Tour announced their roster of #NextGen players.  We thought we’d introduce you to each of the players – Secret Fangirl style.  We highly suggest keeping up with your faves on social media.

Taylor Fritz (USA)
Instagram: @taylor_fritz
Twitter: @taylor_fritz97
Fritz, a California native, has been on a roll since winning the US Open Juniors title in 2015, rising to #69 in the rankings.  He reminds us of a young Pete Sampras, whom Fritz got to practice with on his 18th birthday. #MERICA.


Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Instagram: @bigfoe1998
Twitter: @ftiafoe
Also on the #MERICA squad is Frances Tiafoe, from Maryland.  After a big win over fellow American Taylor Fritz in Indian Wells, Tiafoe got to practice with his idol, Juan Martin del Potro.  Tiafoe’s inspirational story is definitely worth a read.


Borna Coric (CRO)
Instagram: @bornacoric
Twitter: @borna_coric
Coric has made it to 2 finals already in 2016, and is the youngest player in the top 50.  Coric has a tattoo on his forearm that says “there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary” and likes to show off his yoga poses on Instagram.


Alexander Zverev (GER)
Instagram: @alexzverev123
Alexander Zverev, AKA Sasha, had a great week in Indian Wells, taking out Grigor Dimitrov and pushing Rafael Nadal to 3 tough sets.  He also has an adorable dog, Lovik, who gets his own credentials!

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Welcome to your first U.S. Open lovik

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Quentin Halys (FRA)
Instagram: @quentinhalys
Twitter: @QuentinHalys
We love all of the French players for their flair and style when they play.


Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Instagram: @k1ngkyrg1os
Twitter: @NickKyrgios
Love him or hate him, Nick keeps things interesting on the court.  He’s a talented player and you never know what he’ll do next – even take a mid-match selfie.


Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Instagram: @the_kokk1
Twitter: @TKokkinakis
We’ve missed Thanasi out on tour this year, as he’s recovering from shoulder surgery.  He was present at the AUS-USA Davis Cup tie in March, and gets an A+ for cheerleading for his squad all weekend (and rocking some frosted tips).  We hope he’s back on court soon!


Elias Ymer (SWE)
Instagram: @eliasymer
Twitter: @eliasymer
Ymer qualified for all 4 grand slams in 2015.  His father is a professional long-distance runner and while he hoped Elias would follow in his footsteps, he found tennis instead.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDnx6MXLafp/?taken-by=eliasymer&hl=en


Andrey Rublev (RUS)
Instagram: @andreyrublev
Twitter: @AndreyRublev97
When he’s not working on his tennis game, Rublev is also in a boyband.


Karen Khachanov (RUS)
Instagram: @karenkhachanov
Twitter: @karenkhachanov
Another Russian #NextGen player, who has teamed up with Rublev for doubles.  Maybe he can join the band, too?


Yoshihito Nishioka (JAP)
Twitter: @yoshihitotennis
Nishioka has been off to a great start in 2016, reaching the Quarterfinals in Memphis and the 4th round in Miami, taking out Feliciano Lopez on the way.


Hyeon Chung (SKR)
Instagram: @hyeon519
Chung hails from South Korea and trained at the IMG Academy in Florida.  Fun fact: he started tennis because his parents were told it could help his eyesight.  While he’s become one of the top teenagers on the tour, he still rocks glasses!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDO4o2-AoyL/?taken-by=hyeon519


Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Instagram: @kyleedmund8
Twitter: @kyle8edmund
Edmund was part of Great Britain’s winning Davis Cup squad in 2015.

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GB DAVIS CUP CHAMPIONS!!!🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

A post shared by Kyle Edmund (@kyle.edmund) on

header photo via ATP World Tour

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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Last week on the ATP World Tour was an exciting one for us, with several of our favorite players making the finals!   Here’s our roundup of the tennis news of the week.

This Week’s Tournaments:
Delray Beach, FL, USA
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Marseille, France

Taylor Fritz Makes First Final
The 18-year-old American made his first ATP World Tour Final in just his 3rd event on tour.  To put that in perspective, it took Roger Federer 21 tour events to reach his first tour final.  We were rooting for Fritz all week and are looking forward to more!  Also, the Memphis Open officially has the coolest trophies on tour.

memphisopenkeifritz

DelPotro Back in Action Tonight
Juan Martin Del Potro is making his comeback tonight at the Delray Beach Open against American Denis Kudla.  Vamos Delpo!!

delpodelraybeach

Dominic Thiem Beats Nadal, Wins Argentina Open
Thiem was impressive in beating Nadal (on clay!) and followed it up with a 3 set win over Nicholas Almagro to win the title.  Too often we’ll see players follow up a big win with a loss in the next round, so we’re glad to see Thiem get the win!

THIEM_Argentina

Milos Raonic Plays NBA All Star Game
The 6’5″ Raonic was impressive at the NBA All Star Game in Toronto over the weekend, making a slam dunk look just as easy as one of his (scarily) fast serves.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News of the Week

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It’s no secret that the only thing we love as much as music is tennis!  Lucky for us, the tennis season lasts nearly the entire year, hitting every corner of the globe.  We thought we’d take a weekly look at the ATP World Tour action, both on an off the court.

This Week’s Tournaments:
Memphis, TN, USA
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Del Potro Returning at Delray Beach
Juan Martin del Potro announced that he is making his return to the tour very soon at the Delray Beach Open!  We’ve missed Delpo, and it’s wonderful to see that he is healthy enough to play again!

Gasquet Wins Montpellier
Our petit-ami, Richard Gasquet, played his first tournament of 2016 in Montpellier last week.  And won!  Gasquet missed the Australian Open due to an ongoing back injury, and we’re thrilled to see him back on court and playing well!

Fier de conserver mon titre !! #opensuddefrance #montpellier #atpworldtour

A photo posted by Richard Gasquet (@richardgasquet34) on

ATP Players + Puppies = Love
We love the off-court features on the ATP site,   This week they took a look at players and their pets!  Of course there’s Djokovic’s dog Pierre, Murray’s terriers Maggie May and Rusty … and Alexandr Dogopolov has the coolest looking cat we’ve ever seen.

DJOKOVIC_pets_ATP
#MERICA
The Memphis Open is underway, and is the first tournament to have 5 American teenagers in the draw since 1989.  Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Michael Mmoh, and Jared Donaldson all made it to the main draw of the tournament.   Not sure about you, but we are super excited about the future of American tennis.  USA!  USA!  USA!

ATP_Memphis_Merica_Teens

Friday Five, Sports, Tennis

The Friday Five: Australian Open Preview (Fangirl Style)

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The Australian Open kicks off this weekend in Melbourne!  It’s time for our annual bae-watch list. Here are some of the (many) players we’ll be rooting for for the next two weeks.

1. Borna Coric

Coric finished 2015 as the youngest player in the top 100. He is definitely one of the top young guns to watch in 2016 – he already has a win over Rafael Nadal, and played his first ATP World Tour final last week in Chennai. And is it just us or does anyone else get a little Jake Miller vibe from him?

Ice bath after good match!!!!

A photo posted by Borna Coric (@bornacoric) on

2. Jack Sock

The young American has started 2016 with a bang, beating top players Kevin Anderson and David Ferrer en route to the finals in Auckland. Jack has a powerful, aggressive forehand and the game to match. But he’s also known for his great sportsmanship, suggesting his opponent Lleyton Hewitt challenge a call during Hopman Cup last week.

just about sums up the week 🤗😜 #hopmancup

A photo posted by Jack Sock (@jack.sock) on

3. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (AKA P2Hugz)

P2Hugz is p2cute. He teamed up with fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to win the US Open doubles trophy last Fall. The duo also made it to the finals of the 2015 Australian Open, so they will be confident playing on these familiar courts. Pierre-Hugues is also looking to qualify for the singles draw (ALLEZ!!!)

Last round tomorrow against my friend Édouard Roger-Vasselin! #Lacoste #Round3 #Qualifying #Court10 #2ndafter12:30

A photo posted by Pierre Hugues herbert (@pierrehuguesherbert) on

4. Taylor Fritz

Taylor is another young American player on a hot streak. Since winning the US Open Juniors title a few months ago, he has gone on to win 3 ATP Challenger titles and risen to 154 in the rankings. Fritz is also playing qualifying st this years tournament.

5. Benoit Paire

We’re not sure which Benoit will end up at this year’s tournament: the one who beat Nishikori at the US Open or the one who has on court meltdowns. But we can guarantee he’ll be entertaining to watch either way! We also suggest following him on Instagram for heart- eyes worthy photos.

 

😍

A photo posted by Benoit Paire (@benpaire) on

BONUS: Lleyton Hewitt

The Australian Open is sadly Hewitt ‘s last tournament as a professional. We’ll be cheering Aussie Aussie Aussie OY OY OY until the last point. We expect him to go down fighting in some epic 5 set matches.